The Immortality of the Deathless
Author: Milady Dragon
Disclaimer: I don't own Torchwood, and if I did it would have had a very happy ending.
Author's note: Here is the chapter a lot of you are waiting for: we find out what happened to Ianto...kinda. Hope you like it!
Chapter Thirty-Six
"Well…this is unexpected."
Ianto Jones had never really given the Afterlife much thought. His parents had been quite religious, taking their family to all the Rites for as long as Ianto could recall. Ianto, himself, was more of a person who believed it when he saw it, or had proof handed to him, and since no one could prove the existence of life after death, he simply dismissed it.
Now, he was wondering why Heaven – or which Hell – would resemble an outdoor café in what appeared to be Gateway before the Demons came.
And why the coffee tasted so very mediocre.
A giggle pulled him from his perusal of the crowd. A woman was sitting at his table; blonde, somewhere in her early twenties…with eyes that glowed with the golden light of magic. "You're not in Heaven or any of the Hells," she said, grinning.
"Then this must be some form of limbo, because I certainly remember dying." He'd felt the knife slide into his stomach, and up into his chest. Beyond that…nothing. "And then there's yourself…I'm pretty certain that you're dead as well."
The woman raised an eyebrow. "Who do you think I am, then?"
"I know you're Lady Rose, the Wizard's Apprentice who used the Deep Ways to destroy the Demons from the North." He'd seen her in his visions of Gateway, and had known immediately who she was.
She smiled. "You'd be right…to a certain extent. I look like Lady Rose, but that doesn't really mean that I'm actually her."
It was Ianto's turn to raise an eyebrow. "Then who are you?"
"That…is a bit difficult to explain. But I do assure you, this isn't some sort of Afterlife, and you aren't actually dead."
"Then how did I survive? How did I get here?" Ianto was relieved about not being dead, but was confused about his surroundings. "And while you're at it…just where is 'here' anyway? Because it looks a lot like Gateway from over a thousand years ago."
"I knew to expect questions from you," the woman said. "Hopefully I'll have time to answer them all. Problem is, I have to explain a few things before I can answer them."
Ianto nodded, taking another sip of the substandard coffee and grimacing. "Can you least tell me who you are first, and why you look like Lady Rose?"
She sighed. "Of course, you know the story of the Demons." It wasn't a question.
The archivist nodded. "The Demons of the North came into what were called the Living Lands, killing and destroying as they went. They were stopped here, at Gateway…by Lady Rose, who used the Deep Ways to destroy them."
"Basically correct. However, the Deep Ways didn't technically destroy the Demons…it simply took back what they were given, which was Life."
"It sounds like you're splitting hairs. Death is Death."
The woman shook her head. "All right, I see I'll need to go back a bit farther then in my explanation." She took a deep breath. "I assume you're familiar with the Laws of Magic, particularly Einstein's Law of Conservation of Magic?"
Ianto nodded, remembering discussing it with Toshiko on the trip to Haven.
"Then you know that magic cannot be created or destroyed, it can only be controlled?"
"Yes, although that's a rather simplistic way of putting it."
"Simple works in this case. Magic is a part of the natural processes of this world, and is another form of energy, and as such we cannot create more of it. And only a Wizard with the talent can bring the magic under his or her control."
Ianto nodded again. "And there hasn't been a true Wizard born in centuries, only those with a modicum of talent." He thought back to Adam Smith in Haven, and his ability to get into another person's mind.
"And then there's yourself." She sounded almost teasing.
"I thought that went without saying," he answered drily.
The woman laughed merrily. "Yes, you're right. As I was saying…magic is an energy of this world, and it can be tapped into somewhat easily, if you have the ability. But then, there's the Deep Magic, which isn't truly magic per se."
"I know there isn't much on the Deep Ways in the Torchwood Archives." Ianto sat forward, abandoning the awful coffee in favor of learning something new.
She shook her head. "There wouldn't be. You see, the Wizards thought the Deep Ways were sacred, and so they didn't write anything down about it. It got mentioned, of course, but without context the meaning got lost." The woman sighed. "Once, so very long ago that no one remembers, there were people who could also control the Deep Magic."
"So," Ianto absently took another sip of the coffee, interested in what she was saying so much that he didn't even grimace at the taste, "both the magic that we're all familiar with, and the Deep Magic, obey the same rules."
"Exactly." She smiled widely, making her look even younger. "But those Grand Wizards died out, and the Wizards that came after forgot, except for some few spells that were kept under lock and key, because they were too busy worshipping the Deep Ways instead of learning more about it."
"That was before Lady Rose came along."
"That's right. The stories say that she used a spell belonging to her Master, but that's not really true…she used her own abilities to tap into the Deep Magic and use that power against the Demons."
"And she also brought Jack back to life."
A look of sorrow crossed her features. "That…wasn't supposed to happen. But the Magic she'd taken from the Demons had to go somewhere, and unfortunately most of it all went into poor Jack."
"Wait." Ianto was confused. "The Deep Ways are what's keeping Jack Deathless." He knew that was true; he could see it.
"That's true."
"But you just said – "
"Ianto," she interrupted softly, "the Deep Magic was what was keeping the Demons alive."
His mouth fell open. That couldn't be possible…could it? Ianto sat there in shock, trying to process what he'd just heard. "So…you're saying that it was the ancient power that created the Demons?"
"No," she shook her head. "That's not what I'm saying at all."
"Then stop being so bloody cryptic and tell me what you mean!" He barely controlled the urge to slam his hand onto the table.
She sighed. "The Deep Magic is Life, Ianto. It's the lifeforce of the entire Universe. It's in everyone, including the Northern Demons."
That rocked him backward in his seat. Life? "How is that possible?" he asked, his voice a little higher than usual in his surprise.
"It's like regular magic; it cannot be destroyed or created, only controlled. Only the Wizards had forgotten, and the knowledge was lost."
"But Lady Rose…"
"She discovered it quite by accident. When Master John sent her away to save her life, she ended up…what do you know of the Cardinal Points?"
Ianto was thrown by the question at first, but managed to answer. "They're places where the most powerful magic is found."
The woman shook her head. "That's not entirely accurate, but that's also not a big surprise. The Cardinal Points are Rifts in the magical veil that surrounds our world; it's that veil that Wizards tap into. Those tears are where the Deep Magic pools, where it can be easily accessed and controlled. And Rose was sent to one of these places, only Master John had no idea what it was."
"Because the Wizards forgot."
"Exactly." She looked pleased. "Now, for someone with the natural ability to control the Deep Ways – which Rose was – it was like being thrown into the ocean…she could either sink or swim."
"She swam."
"And she did it well. She was able to use that monumental power to return to Gateway, although it completely overwhelmed her. But not before she found that she could see the Deep Ways in everyone, including the Demons. And she simply…removed it."
"She…stole their lifeforce." Ianto was wondering why he wasn't becoming a gibbering wreck under what he was learning…if this was even true. He could remember Suzie stabbing him, and was convinced no one could survive that. Some sort of Afterlife existential experience, perhaps?
Those golden eyes rolled. "Look, I've told you…you're not dead. The Deep Ways won't let you die. You're too important."
"You just read my mind?"
"No…but what you're thinking is written all over your face. Now, are you going to listen and accept what I'm telling you?"
Ianto nodded. He really didn't have much choice.
"But you were right…Rose simply pulled all that lifeforce from the Demons, turning them into little piles of dust. But all that Life didn't have anywhere to go, and Rose so much wanted Jack to live…so she sent it into him. The only problem was…mortals only have a very small flicker of the Deep Magic in them, not even enough to register to anyone even with the ability to see it."
"But Rose could."
"Yes, because of the massive amount of Life within her. All that Magic overflowed Jack...quite literally. The Deep Magic is in every cell of his body, constantly regenerating him and keeping him Deathless. "
"Is there…any way to get it out?" A part of Ianto didn't want to ask; he didn't want to risk losing Jack now that he'd just discovered his feelings. But Jack had a right to make the decision, if there was a way to cure him of his Deathlessness.
His new friend shook her head sadly. "I'm afraid not. Although, some day all that lifeforce will run out, and Jack will die. It's just going to be so far down the road the times involved are… inconceivable. He has millions of lives within him, and not even I could get it out."
A sudden notion hit Ianto. "You're the Deep Magic, aren't you?"
She laughed. "Give the man a gold star! I am the avatar of Rose Tyler, the part of the Deep Ways that was expelled from her by Master John. Normally, the Deep Ways don't go around in someone else's shape, but I kinda like it." She turned in his seat and casually admired herself in the nearest reflecting surface, which happened to be the glass front of the café they were sitting outside of.
"So…are the Deep Ways self-aware?"
"Not usually." She looked at him once more. "Sentient, yes….self-aware, no. But the Life that Rose took into herself changed. I guess you could say I have a bit of her in me, along with her memories. Something like this isn't supposed to happen…at least, I don't think it is."
"So…you're unique."
She smiled. "Yes, I guess you could say I am."
Ianto glanced around at his surroundings. "And this place…?"
"An echo of Gateway the way it was, pressed into the essence of Life. Part of the Demons' lifeforce – the part not trapped inside Jack – caused the entire city and its inhabitants to become a never-ending play against the backdrop of the Deep Ways. Only certain people can see it."
"Like me."
"Exactly. Like ghosts haunting a long-abandoned building."
A thought came to him. "Does that mean…you're actually alone here?" He couldn't imagine it, existing alongside what amounted to eternal shadows.
The avatar shrugged, but her answer was interrupted by an inquisitive chirp from Ianto's elbow. He looked down…"Myfanwy?"
The dragon sat there, her eye glowing contentedly. She rested her head on his arm, and the sound that was coming from her was very much like purring.
"That would mean your companions have arrived," the avatar answered Ianto's unspoken question.
"But how did she get here?"
"She's connected to you…didn't you know?"
Ianto stroked Myfanwy's head. "Yes, I knew that," he said exasperatingly. "But she's not dead…is she?" He remembered what Jack had said, about dragons being bound to their Wizards…
"How many times do I have to tell you…you're not dead! Yes, your body was injured, and critically…but the Deep Ways won't let you die. "
"But why? What's so special about me?" He was having trouble getting his head around the fact that he hadn't been killed by Suzie's knife. He wasn't Jack, after all; he wasn't Deathless.
She looked at him, surprised. "I would've thought you'd realized by now. You're like Rose, Ianto…you have the ability to control the Deep Magic. You're a true-line descendant from the Grand Wizards of old."
Ianto sank back in his chair. It made sense. It was something he could accept. It shocked him, even as the knowledge was slotting itself within his categorized mind. He could feel it as truth, in that place in his head where the tingling he'd begun to think of as magic…and it was actually Magic, with a capital 'M', and it had somehow opened back in Haven, when Adam Smith had touched him and invaded his mind…
No, it was before.
"My Gran knew," he murmured. "I think something…happened, when I was a child. I didn't remember it until a short while ago…"
It's too bright.
Blink and it'll go away.
But Gran…why can I see the light?
Because you're special. The magic runs in your veins, and it lets you see things others cannot see.
I don't wanna see it! It hurts!
The memory rocked him once more.
But what do you see?
He could hear Jack asking him that question, so many times…
Ianto must have tapped into the Deep Ways when he'd been too young to deal with it, and his Gran had somehow made him forget. And, when Adam triggered that memory, it had somehow let loose what had lain dormant inside himself for so long.
And suddenly, something that the avatar had said struck him. "Wait…you said the Deep Ways won't let me die? How does that work?"
"Well, you're tapping into the very lifeforce of the Universe," she answered. "You and it have an affinity. You're connected. "
"Does that mean…" Ianto swallowed, hard, to choke back what he'd been about to ask.
"No, you're not Deathless. But, barring anything actually disconnecting you from the Deep Magic, you'll live a very long time. Really, pretty much as long as you like."
Jack wouldn't have to be alone…
Ianto could feel the smile blooming on his face at the thought. Jack had always outlived everyone, but now…
He could give the gift of companionship to an immortal who didn't deserve to be alone. He found himself laughing happily at the very thought. He might not be able to take away the Deep Magic that was keeping Jack alive long past his natural span, but at least Ianto could make it perhaps a bit more bearable.
"I need to get back," he said, making to stand. "Wait…how do I get back?"
The avatar laughed. "Getting a bit ahead of yourself, aren't you?"
"I guess I am." He settled back into his seat, and Myfanwy – whose head has been dislodged from Ianto's arm as he was getting up – took advantage and tried to climb up into Ianto's lap. The archivist laughed once more, shoving her back. "You're too big," he scolded her lightly.
The dragon actually stuck her long tongue out at him, making Ianto laugh even harder and the avatar snort coffee up her non-existent nose.
"You really are connected to me, aren't you?" he asked fondly. Myfanwy looked at him as if he was being particularly thick, then put her head firmly in his lap.
"She's a special lady, Ianto. Look after her, and she'll do the same for you and yours."
Ianto nodded, knowing that the dragon was already close to both Jack and Toshiko. He smiled as he recalled the conversation at the tower, when he and Jack had joked about just whose dragon she was.
An odd feeling came over him, as if he was being tugged somewhere by the back of the head. "I think…I don't have to worry about how I'm getting back."
She nodded. "That's your body calling for you."
"Are you going to be all right, here by yourself?" He was concerned; he didn't want her to be lonely.
She waved away his concern. "Usually my consciousness just sleeps. I'll do that again once you're gone." She got up and moved around the table, stepping around Myfanwy to put her arms around his shoulders in a hug. "You're a good man, Ianto Jones. You'll do the Deep Ways proud. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise."
Ianto opened his mouth to ask her what that meant, but the city was fading around him and the weight of her arms on him dissipated like smoke. Darkness flooded his vision, and the last thing he saw were a pair of golden eyes, swirling with the Deep Magic.
Then he was back in his own body, drawing a deep, shuddering breath.
And a pair of strong arms was gathering him up in a welcoming embrace.